Chef
Policy-as-code configuration & compliance automation for hybrid infrastructure
Ansible
Simple, agentless automation for configuration, deployment, and orchestration.
Ansible automates configuration, application deployment, cloud provisioning, and network tasks using a human‑readable language, agentless SSH, and parallel execution for fast, secure IT operations.
Overview
Overview
Ansible provides a radically simple way to automate IT tasks—from configuration management and application deployment to cloud provisioning and network configuration. By leveraging existing SSH (or WinRM for Windows) connections, it eliminates the need for custom agents, enabling rapid, secure, and auditable automation.
Who It Serves & How It Works
Designed for developers, operations teams, and enterprises that value a low‑learning‑curve, declarative syntax, Ansible lets you describe infrastructure in YAML playbooks that are both machine‑ and human‑readable. Modules can be written in any dynamic language, and the platform runs tasks in parallel across thousands of nodes, supporting non‑root execution and instant onboarding of new machines.
Deployment & Community
Install Ansible via pip or native package managers on most platforms. The active community offers forums, newsletters, and a clear contribution path through the devel branch and Contributor’s Guide, ensuring continuous improvement and support.
Highlights
Agentless operation over SSH
Human‑readable YAML playbooks
Parallel execution across thousands of nodes
Extensible modules in any dynamic language
Pros
- Minimal setup, no agents required
- Clear, declarative syntax
- Strong community and extensive module library
- Built‑in security and auditability
Considerations
- Performance can lag for very large inventories
- Learning curve for complex playbooks
- Limited Windows feature parity
- Reliance on SSH may be restricted in some environments
Managed products teams compare with
When teams consider Ansible, these hosted platforms usually appear on the same shortlist.
Looking for a hosted option? These are the services engineering teams benchmark against before choosing open source.
Fit guide
Great for
- Teams needing rapid, repeatable infrastructure provisioning
- Organizations preferring agentless, SSH‑based automation
- Developers who want to write custom modules in Python or other languages
- Enterprises focused on security and audit trails
Not ideal when
- Environments without reliable SSH access
- Use cases requiring real‑time, low‑latency orchestration
- Very large‑scale data‑plane operations where specialized tools excel
- Teams that mandate a GUI‑first automation platform
How teams use it
Zero‑downtime rolling application updates
Deploy new versions across load‑balanced servers without service interruption.
Cloud infrastructure provisioning
Create and configure AWS, Azure, or GCP resources consistently via playbooks.
Network device configuration
Automate switches and routers configuration using Ansible’s network modules.
Ad‑hoc task execution across fleet
Run one‑off commands on hundreds of servers in parallel for patching or diagnostics.
Tech snapshot
Python87%
PowerShell7%
Shell3%
C#2%
Jinja1%
Go1%
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to install an agent on target machines?
No, Ansible operates agentlessly over SSH (or WinRM for Windows).
What languages can I write Ansible modules in?
Modules can be written in any dynamic language such as Python, Ruby, Bash, or PowerShell.
How is Ansible installed?
Install via pip, OS package managers, or from source; detailed guides are on the website.
Is Ansible suitable for Windows automation?
Ansible supports Windows using WinRM, though feature parity is higher on Unix‑like systems.
Where can I get help or contribute?
Join the Ansible forum, mailing lists, or submit pull requests to the devel branch following the Contributor’s Guide.
Project at a glance
Active- Stars
- 67,731
- Watchers
- 67,731
- Forks
- 24,209
LicenseGPL-3.0
Repo age13 years old
Last commit13 hours ago
Primary languagePython
Last synced 54 minutes ago